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"I will be positioned in this position by 2027," the Prime Minister stated, joking that if the discussion was successful, he might invite the interviewer into Downing Street for a follow-up conversation in 2026.

For a PM, there's rarely ever break for prime ministers. Shortly before we sat down, Starmer had been on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and working to understand precisely had transpired in Venezuela, where his key friend, US President Donald Trump, had recently attacked and captured its leader, Nicolás Maduro.

By the time our interview, which was far more extended than typical, had concluded, Maduro had been indicted in New York.

A Refresh for the New Year

With the year commences, the Prime Minister appears to have had a degree of a revitalisation. Perhaps even just a bit of downtime with loved ones at Chequers, the prime minister's rural getaway.

This seemed to have resulted in better spirits than at the difficult conclusion of 2025, a dreadful annus horribilis for him.

Yet, are he and his supporters deluding themselves if they think his political fate are about to turn around?

Leadership Questions

The uncomfortable truth for the PM is that numerous of his fellow MPs think he's underperforming at his job. Some of them would rather gamble and remove him sooner rather than later.

But Sir Keir was rejecting the idea when we spoke on Saturday morning.

On several occasions he stated he'd be "evaluated at the poll", insisting no one would strip his five-year mandate from him – despite the fact that the best chance of preventing Nigel Farage and Reform UK getting to No 10 might be for Labour to switch leader.

"This is the battle of our lifetime and I intend to be at the forefront," he said.

The May Elections

The problem for the PM is that he will be scrutinised long before then – in a huge set of elections in May throughout the UK. He tried to contend, maybe excessively, that they are concerning who runs councils, and who runs the governments in Holyrood or Cardiff – and not about Westminster.

Accurate – up to a point. But although he may not want to acknowledge it, No 10 will be judged by those elections too.

Despite this, Sir Keir stating that there were no scenario under which he would step down, should one of his MPs challenged him for the job, should those elections be catastrophic for Labour.

Predicting a Turnaround

He tried to account for his low poll ratings by saying the electorate was understandably anxious for things to improve. He tried to persuade the interviewer, and the public, that 2026 would be different.

The economy would recover notwithstanding rising unemployment, he argued, when strategies the government put in place during their initial choppy year began to take effect.

• He vowed to empty asylum hotels ahead of the current target date of 2029, although he did not set a specific date on that.
• He noted too, with the qualification that it was not a done deal, that a settlement in Ukraine felt more likely now than at any time since Russia's full-scale invasion.
• He revealed for the first time that Western partners were now talking about how to coordinate US and European forces to provide security for Ukraine – to safeguard a possible peace.

His big message is that in 2026 the country will "reach a turning point".

Familiar Arguments

The PM may have communicated with more energy than I've seen from him for a while – less tense, maybe, with a longer slot to talk.

But despite facing demands from various quarters for a more decisive approach, with greater political direction, more dynamism, more speed and more urgency, his explanations were repeated ones.

When he finds himself in considerable political difficulty, should he consider a different script?

No government, and especially not one that has been struggling in the polls for many months, gets everything its as desired.

The Prime Minister's problems are not only because government is challenging, but because he and his colleagues have faltered, including in the recent past.

Regrets and Risks

The prime minister told me that he regretted saying he was "happy" to see the return of the Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd El Fattah to the UK following an backlash when comments he'd previously made – such as calls for Zionists and police to be killed – came to light.

Sir Keir attributed it to "the system" for failing to identify what the activist had said before – a fancier way of saying not my fault.

And he is inviting evident political dangers as the year gets going. His friendship with the US president entails a new jeopardy after Trump's intervention on Venezuela.

Having interviewed Sir Keir Starmer, a ex- human rights lawyer who was against the war in Iraq, over many years, the thought he would be content with these events seems implausible.

International Law and Brexit

He asserted he was a "lifelong proponent of international law" but we "simply haven't got the full picture at the moment".

Critics called for him to criticise the action prior to the interview. And the government is likely to face more pressure to give an definitive view in Parliament in the coming days.

There has also consistently been simmering desire in the Labour ranks to undo or remake some of the results of Brexit.

The PM disputes he's doing that, but his new firmer pledge to move closer with the European trading bloc – the huge economic European market – will likely trigger accusations that he is going back on his pledge never to try to overturn the results that flowed from Brexit.

A commitment to integrate into more of the single market will delight some on his backbenches, but it is simple material for Reform and the Conservatives to